Actuating means for washing-machines.



E. BUSWELL,

AGTUATING MEANS-POR WASHING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 27,'1913.

Patented Dec. 22, 1914.

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EUGENE B'USWELL, OF WATERLOO, IWA,

ACTUATING MEANS FOR WASHING-EIACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 22, 1914.

Application filed October 27, 1913. Serial No. 787,584.

To @ZZ whom 'it' may concern Be it known that l, EUGENE BUSWELL, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Vaterloo, Blackhawk county, iowa, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Actuating Means for l/Vashing-lvfachines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in actuating-means for washing-machines, and the object of my improvement is to simplify and render more convenient and inexpensive such means, while at the same time providing for the manual actuation thereof by the use of both hands of the operator. This object I have accomplished by the means which are hereinafter described and claimed, and which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved washing-machine. Fig. 2 is an upper plan view of said machine and that part only of the actuating-means which includes the two pull-cables and their operative connections to the pulley on the rock-shaft of the clothes-stirring body in the tub. Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical axial section with parts broken away of said pull-cables, pulleyhousing and pulley, and rock-shaft. Fig. 4 is an upper plan view of a similar mechanism to that shown in said Fig. 2, except that a pair of racks with an intermediate intermeshing gear-wheel are shown in place of the pull-cables and pulley of said other figure.

Similar numerals of reference denote corresponding parts throughout the several views.

A rock-body 16 provided with depending clothes-stirring pegs is shown in dotted lines only as mounted upon a vertical rock-shaft 1 within the tube 11. Said rock-shaft extends upwardly through an axial opening in the hinged cover 10 of said tube, with its upper end having a collar 2 removably secured on and supporting the same movably upon the top part of a hollow housing 3, the lower flanged-out part of the latter being secured about the axial opening of the cover 10 by means of bolts 4. Said cover 10 may be detachably secured to said tube 1l by means of a catch 15.

The numeral 6 denotes a pulley or sheave detachably secured upon the shaft 1 within said housing 3, the sheave being spaced in its upper part from said shaft to permit of the extension thereinto of an integral cylindrical projection 5 of the housing 3, said projection ybeing spaced from said shaft 1 to permit of the seating of a plurality of vertical rollers 9 therebetween to form an antifriction bearing for said shaft. The outer circumferential periphery is formed with two grooves for the cables 7 and 8, respectively, the ends of said cables being secured to the pulley in said grooves so as to wind and be seated therein. Openings are provided in the housing 3, to which the pull-cables 7 and 3 may be carried, and on the outer ends of said cables the blocks 12 are secured adjustably by means of setscrews 13. Said blocks 12 have integral pins 14 which may be movably seated and secured in bearing lugs on the hand-levers 17 and 18, respectively.

The numeral 19 denotes a bracket secured on one side of the tube 11 and having bearing openings to receive the fulcrumed pivotpins 2O and 23, respectively, of the levers 18 and 17. The fulcrum of the lever 17 is located at its lower extremity, and said lever has at a short distance abo-ve said fulcrum 23 a short longitudinal slot 22 within which is slidably projected and seated a pin 21 extending from the lower extremity of the lever 18 below its said fulcrum 20. The movable connection permits of restricting the oscillations of the levers to cause them to have equal amounts of travel while being actuated. It will be seen that the operator may take said levers in both hands and reciprocate them in reversed directions simultaneously, with equal lengths of stroke, and in doing so impart by means of the pullcables 7 and 8 rocking movements to the shaft 1 and its connected rocking-body 16 within the tub.

In Fig. 4, I have sho-wn an equivalent device for rocking the shaft 1, which comprises a gear-wheel 27 mounted on said shaft within the housing 3, the opposite sides of said housing being left open to permit of.

the same in intermeshing contact with said gear-wheel 27.

The operation of the device is the same as that hitherto described, the integral pins 26 on said racks being pivotally connected to the levers 17 and 18 in the same Way that the bodies 12 are shown similarly connected to in said Fig. 1.

Having described my invention, what 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In combination, a rock-shaft rotatably mounted, and means for rocking said shaft to and fro, comprising a pair of pivoted hand-levers adapted to be oscillated in reverse directions simultaneously, a sheave mounted on said rock-shaft and having its upper part interiorly hollowed out from the top concentrically about the shaft, pullcables connected between said hand-levers and said sheave to wind about the latter in opposite directions, a housing about said sheave having openings to permit of the passage of said cables, and having' an integral depending hollow sleeve extending into said sheave about said shaft and spaced concentrioally from the latter, rollers seated between, and in Contact with the latter sleeve and said shaft to form an anti-frietion bearing for the shaft, and a collar secured on the upper end of the shaft and supporting the latter upon the top of said housing.

2. 1n combination, a rock-shaft rotatably mounted, and means for rocking said shaft i to and fro, comprising a pair o1" pivoted hand-levers adapted to be oscillated in reverse directions simultaneously, a sheave mounted on said rock-shaft and having its upper part interiorly hollowed out from the iof Oct. 1913.

EUGENE BUSVELL. Nitnessesz GEO. C. KENNEDY, W. H. BRUNN.

Uoyiee of this patent may 'bo obtained for lve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of atents. Washington, I. Q.

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